After a great deal of discussion--on the part of fans and producers alike--over Daniel Craig's (THE MOTHER, MUNICH) suitability for the role of James Bond, he more than proves himself in this explosive revamping of the franchise. Under the direction of Martin Campbell (THE MASK OF ZORRO) and with Paul Haggis (CRASH) helping with the re-writes, this addition to the Bond canon manages to hold true to the essence of the stories--the villainous villains, the fabulous sets, the beautiful women, the fast-paced action--while updating the formula with subtlety and humanity. Trading in the Cold War era for a new, post-9-11 landscape, the tale unfolds in locations that span the globe, including the Bahamas, Venice, and the Czech Republic. It opens in Madagascar, where Bond pursues a guerilla bomb-maker in one of the most breathtaking chase scenes ever--and it all takes place on foot. Botching that assignment, Bond goes to Montenegro to square off against terrorist baddie Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson), an international loan shark who gambles with the money of his equally dangerous clients. Beautiful British Treasury representative Vesper Lynd (Eva Green, THE DREAMERS) supplies Bond's own funds, appearing on his arm in Montenegro, while M (Dame Judi Dench, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) keeps a close watch on the action from headquarters. The extravagant poker game forms the center of the action, with Jeffrey Wright (SYRIANA, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) putting in an intense appearance at the table; interrupting the game are assassination attempts, poisoning, and other dramatic events that keep the adrenaline pumping. The flirtation that unfolds between Bond and Vesper Lynd is only in keeping with the spy's M.O. as a ladies' man. What differs here, however, is what sets this Bond apart from the rest: the romance is taken seriously, and it exposes a vulnerability in Bond that he's never shown before. This, however, only makes him the tougher, as Craig's Bond is darker, less campy, more brooding and mysterious, than his past incarnations ever were.
Daniel Craig holds his own in this new updated version of Double... 07, James Bond. He looks good,actually really good and his cold blue eyes (enhanced for the movie) tell a thousand stories.
His Bond girls are below average and so forgettable. Where is Angelina Jolie when you need her?
Regardless- this new twists and changes brings life back into a really tired series. Action packed and full of Bond cliches, Casino Royale is a hybrid of all those former Bond flicks.
Judi Dench is wonderful in her role. She gives a new meaning to the phrase powerful woman.
Check out this flick, you may love it or hate it but at least it's entertaining.
And where was the great James Bond theme song? You would think some front and center artist would have gotten the honors- yet no Brittney or Jessica or 50 Cent.
Casino Royale introduces Daniel Craig as James Bon...d. He easily assumes the identity and in a quite believable manner. He has the cold, rugged look of what one would expect of a Bond character, along with a fit, hansom, and rather obscure appearance. As a recently promoted OO-agent, he coldly and uncaringly "makes his bones" with the assassination of a rogue government agent. He immediately demonstrates that he is goal orientated and cares little about what anyone else thinks about his methods. Judy Dench plays "M" and after a shaky start with Bond, realizes his worth when, in a rather unorthodox manner, he uncovers an underground terrorist banking network. When Bonds actions prevent the destruction of a billion dollar prototype aircraft at Miami International Airport, it becomes clear that someone has lost over $100M in the stock market betting that the aircraft would be destroyed. The terrorist banker and loanshark, La Chiffre, was the person on the losing end, and the lost funds belonged to his "investors", terrorists, warlords, rogue governments and hijackers. Instead of making a fortune betting the wrong way on the stock, he now must devise a plan to replace the money. This is done by setting up a high-stakes poker game, "winner take all", in Montenegro. The buy-in is $10M, with an additional $5M if needed. Ten players, meaning a potential $150M game. Le Chiffre is a chess and cards prodigy, and Bond is entered into the game. The idea is to financially break Le Chiffre and then offer him protection from his "investors" for information. In old Bond films, there was always some group like SPECTRE or SMERSH, or other arch-villan organization. In this movie we have the Mysterious Mr. White, who is head of the worldwide terrorist banking system. Le Chiffre will ultimately have to answer to him if unsuccessful at Montenegro. The pretty girl; there is always a pretty girl, Vesper Lind (Eva Green), is the British Govt. accountant in charge of Bond's funds for the tournament. She is very similar to Bond in personality, and the chemistry between them is obvious. Of course, during all of this banter, there are several unsuccessful attempts on Bond, each leading up to the eventual defeat of La Chiffre in spectacular fashion. In the typical Bond fashion, there is an action packed anit-climactical ending, where Bond, reveals a side never seen before. He has been truly hurt, emotionally, by Vesper's death, but now, another door is opened. . .Hello Mr. White. . .and the story goes on. . . I feel that Daniel Craig may just wind up being the best Bond since Sean Connery.
It's always difficult trying to imagine a new actor pl...aying the James Bond role. I was skeptical of Daniel Craig, and I admit it took me some time to warm up to him. Past Bond actors have been a wide variety of personalities. Sean Connery is just about everyone's favorite. After that, it gets pretty subjective. Personally, I thought Roger Moore was pretty good, but a bit glib. Pierce Brosnin and Timothy Dalton were eye-candy for the ladies, but not much appeal for the male viewers. George Lazenby.....nevermind. Well, it took me a couple of viewings, but I finally accepted Craig as the "new" Bond. It also occurred to me that this is a disc I wanted to own. The story line works, Bond is action packed, and even shows a vulnerable side as he falls for a woman assigned to back him in a high-stakes poker game.
Unfortunately, Ian Fleming has left us, and no more "Bond" novels will be written. The Broccoli family, who has produced most of the Bond films, hopefully will continue to rework and rewrite them. I think there will always be a place for these films, and the Bond character. If Craig wants to continue as Bond, he could have a long and happy future.
Hope this review helps, and enjoy the movie.
Still not on a par with the days of Sean Conner...y, the new Bond is quite an improvement over effeminate versions portrayed by Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton. You can finally see some of the manly qualities that Bond should have, without all of the fancy-pants poncery of the more modern Englishmen to play the part.
But enough about the acting, as that's hardly what people would buy a Bond film for!
The Bondgirls: very nice this time around. I remember hearing an uproar about Eva Green being selected for the female lead, but I think she's perfect. Quite good in this film. She was thankfully not another Xena: Warrior Princess 21st-Century female action hero stereotype. She was tough, yet vulnerable, and quite feminine. The other ladies were quite easy on the eyes, as well, though they don't get much screen time. It's a one girl show this time around.
The Plot: though I realize nobody watches Bond films for the clever plot, this one was not so ridiculous as some of its predecessors. Though not as intricate, with only mild twisting and turning, it is at least believable. Basically, the villain is a banker-to-the-warlords who takes a huge loss when his stock market scheme is foiled, and needs to make up the defecit before the warlords realize he was gambling with their money. Intro the high-stakes Texas Hold'em tournament (yeah, you heard right!) held in Montenegro - probably the most unlikely premise for Bond to appear anywhere, it is an obvious latch-on to the growing popularity of the card game. Anyway, Bond needs to win, because he's Bond, and the villain needs to win, because he doesn't want to sleep with the fishes, see. Violence and intrigue ensue. Pretty standard stuff, if you cut out the poker bit.
The Action: yes, beside the Bondgirls, this is the reason most people would spend two hours watching a Bond Film. And, for the first time in the last few installments, this edition actually lives up to expectations. After a short flashback for expository purposes, we are treated to a relatively original chase scene, something you can rarely count on in a Bond film. The action here was well-balanced between tension-building realism and the over-the-top unlikeliness Bond films are noted for. I was impressed. Later on, there is a short car chase that ends in an interesting, if somewhat Snidely Whiplash-esque, manner. A somewhat less interesting fuel truck fight (I know I've seen it in a previous installment) sets the stage for one of Bond's clever tricks that the audience isn't let in on until the end. Also, they do some interesting things to a Venician building towards the end.
The Cars: this was a little disappointing. The Astin-Martin was nice, but that's about it. One moment that tickled my fancy was when they showed bond driving a rental car that looked like a Ford Focus, or something similarly lame (no offense to Ford employees - I'm sure it gets excellent gas mileage).
The Gadgets: surprisingly few gadgets entered into the story, and nothing that allows Bond to make a MacGuyver-like escape from some holding cell. Every last deus ex machina in the film was due to something else saving Bond's bacon. I missed the laser pens, and John Cleese, but you can't have everything.
Overall, I would say this is definitely above averageon the Bond scale, and I would recommend all Bondophiles buy it. People with only a mild interest in Bond films may want to rent first.
I bought this, because I never caught it while playing on the bi...g screen. Unlike other Bond movies, this is a sequel to the first Bond starring Daniel Craig, Casino Royal. Craig is the show! He is equal to the original Bond, in that he plays the role differently. Other pretenders tried to fit in a mold. My only problem is that the movie has too many frills of special effects, and not enough meat, or plot. For those that like action movies with a capital A, this movie is for you. For those viewers like me, who want a little more from a Bond movie, the film is barely good.
